Minnesota Life Ins. Co. v. Rings

240 F.Supp.3d 754 (2017)

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Nature of the Case

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Facts

David shot Teresa with a firearm. Teresa was hit six times and suffered bullet wounds to her finger, hip, buttocks, back, chin and neck. Teresa died from her injuries sometime between 6:40 pm and 7:05 pm. At approximately 6:40 pm on September 2, 2015, David shot himself with a firearm. David was hit one time and lost a significant amount of brain matter from the gunshot wound. David also died from his injuries sometime between 6:40 pm and 7:05 pm. Between David and Teresa, it is unknown and probably unknowable who died first. They both died no more than twenty-five minutes of the other. On September 2, 2015, there were two life insurance policies issued by P. David received them as the result of his employment with Abbott Laboratories. David's life is the life which the Policy insured. David designated Teresa as the only beneficiary under the Policy. The policies state that to receive the death benefit, a beneficiary must be living on the date of the insured's death. In the event a beneficiary is not living on the date, that beneficiary's portion of the death benefit shall be equally distributed to the remaining surviving beneficiaries. In the event of the simultaneous deaths, the death benefit will be paid as if the insured survived the beneficiary. If there is no eligible beneficiary, or if the insured does not name one, P will pay the death benefit to: (1) the insured's lawful spouse, if living, otherwise: (2) the insured's natural or legally adopted child (children) in equal shares, if living, otherwise;(3) the insured's parents in equal shares, if living, otherwise; (4) the personal representative of the insured's estate. Judy Rings (D) is David's biological mother. David and Teresa were still married on September 2, 2015. Teresa was Defendant Chase Lee's biological mother. Chase is David's stepson; David was not Chase's biological or legally-adoptive father. David never had any biological or legally adopted children.